Senior QA Engineer

Senior QA Engineer

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior QA Engineer to join our engineering team. You will play a key role in ensuring the quality and reliability of our advanced technology solutions. Projects span motorsport telemetry systems, automotive innovations, and vehicle communications for mass transport platforms.

As a senior member of the QA Engineering team, you will be embedded within multi-disciplinary portfolio teams and report to the QA Lead. You'll lead testing efforts across complex hardware, software, and cloud systems, with a strong emphasis on automation, backend validation, and system integration.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform system and integration testing on complex systems enabling vehicle communications, with a focus on mass transport platforms.
• Design and execute comprehensive test plans and scenarios for software, hardware, and cloud-integrated systems.
• Create and maintain automated test suites using tools such as Selenium WebDriver, Robot Framework, and Python.
• Conduct functional, performance, regression, and exploratory testing across multiple platforms.
• Validate embedded software and real-time systems used in high-performance applications.

Test Design & Execution

• Lead test design activities and execute test cases across hardware/software/cloud systems.
• Derive and manage test data requirements, ensuring consistency and reusability.

Test Environment & Infrastructure

• Provision and maintain test environments (e.g. simulation rigs, HIL setups, staging systems).
• Ensure environments are aligned with release versions and troubleshoot issues in collaboration with DevOps.
• Use both virtual environments and physical setups for testing.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Attend sprint planning, backlog refinement, and daily stand-ups.
• Collaborate with developers, QAs, and product owners to clarify requirements.
• Estimate testing effort and participate in risk-based test planning.
• Represent QA within cross-functional product squads.
• Validate production-mirrored environments and maintain documentation.
• Contribute to test strategy and planning, communicate progress and risks.
• Mentor junior QAs and conduct code reviews.

Essential Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Experience in a commercial software testing environment.
• Strong understanding of test levels/types and risk mitigation strategies.
• Experience reviewing project requirements for scope, coverage, and testability.
• Experience with backend testing and test management tools (e.g. qTest).
• Strong Windows and Linux (SSH) skills.
• Familiarity with networking concepts (Wi-Fi, POE, Ethernet).
• Practical experience creating automated tests and understanding their pros/cons.
• Experience working in Agile teams and using MS Office tools.
• Understanding of embedded systems and real-time software testing.
• Experience with performance and load testing tools.
• Knowledge of database testing and API testing methodologies.
• Familiarity with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing concepts.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Strong attention to detail and a systematic approach to testing.
• Experience mentoring junior QAs.
• Effective communication skills for documentation and cross-team collaboration.
• Ability to thrive in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments.
• Commitment to continuous learning and staying current with industry trends.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Knowledge of continuous delivery pipelines and tools (e.g. Jenkins).
• Understanding of automotive, aerospace, or other safety-critical industry standards.
• ISTQB Foundation or higher certification.
• Experience with cloud platforms and containerisation technologies.
• Experience with Jira. AWS and configuration management tools (e.g. Git).
• Familiarity with mobile communication technologies (3G, 4G, 5G, LTE).
• Python 3 experience, including writing tests.
• Experience with Robot Framework.
• Writing and analysing SQL queries.
• Familiarity with tools such as RabbitMQ, Icinga, and Influx.

What We Can Offer You

• Annual leave (25 days + bank holidays, pro-rated for part time colleagues).
• Enhanced Company Maternity, Paternity and Adoption leave and pay.
• Flexible working policies, including Hybrid Working.
• Life assurance to the value of 4 times base salary.
• Opportunity to join the Applied Pension Plan.
• Company funded individual private healthcare with the opportunity to extend to partner or spouse and/or dependents at a discounted rate.
• Electric car scheme – opportunity to drive a brand-new car in a more affordable way through this salary sacrifice scheme. Employees are eligible to join the scheme after successful competition of their probationary period.

Who We Are

Motion Applied (formerly McLaren Applied) are a medium-sized tech firm spun out of McLaren Group. We're looking for people who will thrive in a non-hierarchical, growth-orientated company, self-starters who are flexible and somewhat entrepreneurial in their approach. Applied are committed to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) and promote DEI in all we do. McLaren Applied are also members of the UK Government Disability Confident Scheme.